Page 38 of Heartbreaker
He takes what feels like a long time to respond, his jaw working the entire time.
“We could…make the time.”
I frown.
“But it has to be on my terms,” he adds in a rush, as though he can’t believe he’s actually saying what he’s saying. “And it can’t be in L.A.”
My heart starts pounding.
“I—”
“I know a place that’s private,” he says. “No press. No pictures. Just music.”
“I don’t know if I have time,” I admit despite the excitement building in my chest.
Iwantto spend time with him again.
Even if it’s platonic.
Well, it absolutely has to be platonic.
I’m not doingthatagain. Nope, no way. It’s far too dangerous for me.
But the lure of actually writing a song,together, is more than I can resist.
“It wouldn’t take long,” he says, those deep-set eyes boring into mine. “Three or four days at most.”
I open my mouth. Close it again. That’s hardly any time at all. Three days is totally doable.
Right?
“It can only be business,” I say with as much certainty as I can muster up.
“Absolutely.” He’s waiting for a response, eyes never leaving mine.
Jiminy crickets.
This is going to be a huge mistake.
But I’m going to do it.
I can’t help myself.
So, I take a breath, jump right into the deep end, and just say,
“Give me the details.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Royal
I pullmy rental SUV to a stop in front of the secluded resort and pop open the door, drawing in my first full breath in what feels like an eternity.
The crisp winter air, the dusting of snow on the conifers, the deep blue waters of the lake visible in the distance.
Tahoe is a special place, and it never fails to settle me.
I wish it was closer to southern California, and yeah, yeah, I know all the SoCal natives will say that we have Mammoth, but it’s not the same as…
